Busy Day Soup is a hearty one-pot ground beef soup with tomatoes, mixed vegetables and tender elbow macaroni in a savory, onion-seasoned broth. It is made for the nights when time and energy are both short: one packet of onion soup mix is the main seasoning, the vegetables come straight from a frozen bag, and the pot serves 6.
How to make it: Brown the beef, stir in the onion soup mix, tomatoes, broth and water, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables and macaroni, bring it back to a simmer over medium heat and cook 10 minutes more, until the macaroni is soft.
Why You’ll Love It
- Fast: the recipe card lists 5 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cooking. When you need it faster still, skip the 15-minute simmer (see the tips below).
- One pot: the beef browns, the broth simmers and the pasta cooks in the same pot, so there is only one pot to wash.
- Almost no chopping: the only knife work is a little parsley for the top.
- Flexible: beef broth, chicken broth or plain water all work as the liquid, and the pasta swaps easily.
Ingredient Notes
Onion soup mix: One 1-ounce packet, beefy onion or regular. It is the main seasoning, so there is no spice rack to dig through.
Lean ground beef: One pound, browned in a tablespoon of olive oil and broken into small crumbles.
Diced tomatoes: A 28-ounce can, juice and all. Petite diced tomatoes also work.
Frozen mixed vegetables: A 16-ounce bag. A 12-ounce bag or 2 cups from a larger one also works, if that is what you have.
Beef broth and water: Four cups of broth plus 2 cups of water. Other liquids work too; see the section below the steps.
Elbow macaroni: Two cups, uncooked. It cooks right in the soup, so there is no second pot of boiling water.
For serving: Grated or shaved Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet onion soup mix (1 ounce), beefy onion or regular
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes (1 can), undrained
- 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables, straight from the freezer
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, grated or shaved, for serving
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
How to Make Busy Day Soup
1. Brown the beef. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until it is browned and cooked through (160°F). Drain the excess fat if you like.
2. Add the base. Stir in the onion soup mix, the diced tomatoes with their juice, the beef broth and the water. Bring to a boil.
3. Simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the vegetables and macaroni. Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and the macaroni, raise the heat to medium and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 10 more minutes, stirring now and then, until the macaroni is soft.
5. Season and serve. Take the pot off the heat. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed, and serve hot with Parmesan and parsley.
Broth, Water or Both? Choosing the Liquid
The liquid is the part the published busy day soup recipes disagree on most. The recipe above uses beef broth and water, but the same packet of onion soup mix seasons every option in this table. Each row comes from a separate published recipe, and the macaroni column shows how much that recipe uses.
| Liquid | How much | Macaroni in that recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Beef broth and water | 4 cups broth plus 2 cups water | 2 cups |
| All beef broth or beef stock | 4 to 6 cups | 1 cup |
| Chicken broth and water | 4 cups broth (one 32-ounce carton) plus 2 cups water | 1 cup |
| All water | 5 cups (that recipe simmers the base 1 hour before the macaroni and vegetables go in) | 1 cup |
Use whatever is on your shelf. A carton of chicken broth is fine when there is no beef broth in the house, and on a day when the pantry is bare, plain water and the packet of soup mix still make a full pot. Give a water pot the longer 1-hour simmer in the tips below.
Taste at the end. In this recipe the onion soup mix is the only seasoning in the pot while it cooks. Once the macaroni is soft, taste the broth and add salt and pepper if needed. You may need a little more salt, and a little black pepper is a good finish.
Tips for Success
Can I skip the 15-minute simmer?
Yes, when dinner has to happen now. Bring the base to a boil, add the frozen vegetables and macaroni, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the macaroni is tender.
Can it simmer longer on a slower day?
Yes. Let the broth, tomatoes and soup mix simmer on medium-low for 1 hour, then add the macaroni and vegetables and cook them 15 minutes on medium heat.
How often should I stir once the macaroni goes in?
Every 3 to 5 minutes, from the moment the macaroni goes in until it is soft.
Variations
- Different pasta: use ditalini or another small pasta, or whole-wheat elbow macaroni, in place of the regular elbows.
- With fresh onion: dice half a medium yellow onion and cook it with the browned beef until fragrant, before the soup mix goes in.
- Fewer tomatoes: use one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed, in place of the 28-ounce can.
- Slow cooker, with rice: brown the beef in a skillet and drain the fat. Put it in the slow cooker with a 15-ounce can of Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, 12 ounces of frozen mixed vegetables, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 ounce of onion soup mix and a 32-ounce carton of beef broth. Cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, then stir in 1 cup of uncooked instant rice and cook on HIGH for 45 minutes longer, until the rice is done. The slow cooker version makes five servings.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator, or reheat it straight from frozen in a saucepan or the microwave. Reheat it covered until it comes to a rolling boil; leftovers must reach at least 165°F. Do not reheat it in a slow cooker; heat it on the stove or in the microwave instead.
What to Serve With It
This soup is a hearty one-pot meal on its own, topped with Parmesan and parsley. When you want the same beef, macaroni and tomato trio in a thick, saucy dinner, make old fashioned goulash. For another quick soup built from cans, there is quick and easy taco soup, and slow cooker unstuffed cabbage roll soup is another ground beef and tomato pot. On colder nights, try creamy potato and hamburger soup, beef and barley soup or Amish tomato noodle soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called busy day soup?
It was made for busy weeknights. It is quick to put together, takes little effort, and turns a few staples into a hearty one-pot meal when energy is low.
Do the frozen vegetables need to be thawed first?
No. They go into the pot straight from the freezer, together with the uncooked macaroni, for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
How can I make busy day soup less salty?
Use low-sodium beef broth and no-salt-added diced tomatoes with their juice in place of the regular ones. Then taste before adding any salt at the end.
Can I serve busy day soup to a crowd?
Yes. Once it is hot, keep it on the stove or in a preheated slow cooker at 140°F or warmer while people help themselves.
Final Notes
Keep a packet of onion soup mix, a can of tomatoes and a bag of frozen vegetables on hand, and this soup is ready whenever the day runs long. If you make it, tell me in the comments which liquid you used and how it turned out.
Busy Day Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet onion soup mix 1 ounce; beefy onion or regular
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes 1 can, undrained
- 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables straight from the freezer
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked
- salt and black pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese grated or shaved, for serving
- fresh parsley chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until it is browned and cooked through (160°F). Drain the excess fat if you like.
- Stir in the onion soup mix, the diced tomatoes with their juice, the beef broth and the water. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and the macaroni, raise the heat to medium and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 10 more minutes, stirring now and then, until the macaroni is soft.
- Take the pot off the heat. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed, and serve hot with Parmesan and parsley.
